CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Your virginity.Paugie said:
No way someone is going to insert anything in my rear. No fu**ing way!
Something Random
- Thread starter ddrueding
- Start date
No way someone is going to insert anything in my rear. No fu**ing way!
ddrueding
Fixture
I'm PUI, quoting and AC from /.
I thinkg he maybe meabns a colonsocopy. They styicvk a video camera up ttherre with a roto-roorter on it in case somethingis found.
ddrueding
Fixture
On a more pleasant note, the custom furniture for my office arrived (finally) today. And it took me 30 minutes to move from my temp cube in accounting, I almost didn't wait for the cleaning guy to finish before I was in.
Now that I'm here, the place certainly needs something. I plan to be here at least 5 years, around 50 hours a week. That's about 13,000 hours. As such, some investment to make it comfortable seems in order. What have you guys done to your workspace to improve it? I'm throwing down for some bigger monitors, better lights, good sound system and some art for sure. I'm even considering some acoustic treatment. A fridge and a comfortable chair in the corner are likely.
Thoughts?
Now that I'm here, the place certainly needs something. I plan to be here at least 5 years, around 50 hours a week. That's about 13,000 hours. As such, some investment to make it comfortable seems in order. What have you guys done to your workspace to improve it? I'm throwing down for some bigger monitors, better lights, good sound system and some art for sure. I'm even considering some acoustic treatment. A fridge and a comfortable chair in the corner are likely.
Thoughts?
timwhit
Hairy Aussie
I brought in my own coffee mug. That's about it.
Are you a partner or executive with a contract for 5 years, or just an employee? I'm not so familiar with companies that provide custom furniture for junior employees unless there is a medical need. In my experience the people often quit or need to be fired after a few years and then someone else ends up with weird office space. It also is more professional to implement reasonably consistent office spaces across a company or at least a division/department. Of course executives have perks, but that is a small amount of the total. There are also other considerations, such as how the budgets are controlled. For example are the fancy expenditures coming from your department and will they be viewed negatively by others as self-aggrandizement?
FWIW I work for a corporation and therefore have the office space provided, which has changed over the years to different floors or buildings as people are added or depart, departments move around, etc. I am at the opposite end of the spectrum in not keeping any significant personal items at work.
FWIW I work for a corporation and therefore have the office space provided, which has changed over the years to different floors or buildings as people are added or depart, departments move around, etc. I am at the opposite end of the spectrum in not keeping any significant personal items at work.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Art?
The remains of a pair of moquitos I smashed on the white wall behind my monitor could be viewed as a modern art chef d'oeuvre if magnified.
Don't put a confortable chair you won't use yourself in your office. The local ass-grabber (every company has at least one) will likely make it his predilected spot and will waste your time by visiting you for no good reason.
The remains of a pair of moquitos I smashed on the white wall behind my monitor could be viewed as a modern art chef d'oeuvre if magnified.
Don't put a confortable chair you won't use yourself in your office. The local ass-grabber (every company has at least one) will likely make it his predilected spot and will waste your time by visiting you for no good reason.
:mrgrn:
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Tim, the minimalist! Actually that sounds like me.
I think Coug missed his true vocation in life. Imagine - squished bugs as art. A doofus somewhere would pay millions for a framed piece.
ddrueding
Fixture
It is an executive position, though the company isn't formal about titles. I report directly to the boss and have my own department. He's never fired anyone without ridiculous cause; drug or alcohol issues aren't even enough (unless you fail the company-sponsored rehab). I've worked with him for 8 years already, and part of my handwritten contract is a 5-year commitment from both of us. I don't know if I would trust him more than the woman I am about to marry, but it is close.
All this additional equipment would be purchased by me; no company funds are being spent. I'm making a very strong point that any equipment beyond what is strictly necessary must be personally purchased, and nothing that stores data can be brought into our system at all.
All this additional equipment would be purchased by me; no company funds are being spent. I'm making a very strong point that any equipment beyond what is strictly necessary must be personally purchased, and nothing that stores data can be brought into our system at all.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I have about $1200 in home theater equipment in my office. Just a little system.
If I wasn't so lame to as to be afraid of hanging pictures and stuff, I'd probably put a couple Maxfield Parrish prints up or something, but given how the rest of my office looks (aside from the mess; I work in a storage room), it wouldn't help much.
If I wasn't so lame to as to be afraid of hanging pictures and stuff, I'd probably put a couple Maxfield Parrish prints up or something, but given how the rest of my office looks (aside from the mess; I work in a storage room), it wouldn't help much.
I have a processor grave yard of sorts in my cube at work. I have a bunch of CPU's sitting around my monitors that I've collected over the years. There are also a few dismantled hard drives with their magnets sitting about for people to play with. Those magnets seem to be a crowd pleaser because they are so small, yet very strong. I have a penny collection sitting on top of one of my workstations. People know I'm against pennies so they seem to leave me all of their perhaps in spite of my hatred towards the penny.
I bring in a metal canteen for my water that sits in the middle of my two monitors. My headphones live right next to me since having any type of open stereo (never mind a $1200 setup) would annoy most people. I have a plushy head crab from half life that's 1/4 scale with posable arms. I have a few little toy cars sitting around on my monitors and a few of those sill stress-relieving squeezable things. One is in the shape of a rocket and says Oracle on it, the other is in the shape of a heart.
Most of this is just crap that has accumulated over the past 8 years.
I bring in a metal canteen for my water that sits in the middle of my two monitors. My headphones live right next to me since having any type of open stereo (never mind a $1200 setup) would annoy most people. I have a plushy head crab from half life that's 1/4 scale with posable arms. I have a few little toy cars sitting around on my monitors and a few of those sill stress-relieving squeezable things. One is in the shape of a rocket and says Oracle on it, the other is in the shape of a heart.
Most of this is just crap that has accumulated over the past 8 years.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
My personal items include a Bodum tea cup infuser and an electric cup warmer, a Brita water pitcher and a South a\American wall hanging and my technical library. I'm working on finding better lighting.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Question for Aussies:
Can Oz be said to have a cuisine of its own? I don't really know, but the things that come to mind about Aussie food, as an American, are that it's probably mostly derived from god-awful English cuisine (cucumber sandwiches, meat that's both over- and under-done). In the USA there's a low-end steakhouse chain called "Outback", and we have those Paul Hogan commercials about Shrimps and barbecues, but that doesn't speak to what Aussies actually eat.
Yes, beer. I know about the beer. I don't care about that. I want to know about the food.
Can Oz be said to have a cuisine of its own? I don't really know, but the things that come to mind about Aussie food, as an American, are that it's probably mostly derived from god-awful English cuisine (cucumber sandwiches, meat that's both over- and under-done). In the USA there's a low-end steakhouse chain called "Outback", and we have those Paul Hogan commercials about Shrimps and barbecues, but that doesn't speak to what Aussies actually eat.
Yes, beer. I know about the beer. I don't care about that. I want to know about the food.
udaman
Wannabe Storage Freak
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2006
- Messages
- 1,209
Sushi and dim sum (<dats Cantonese food for ya n00bs) are popular with Asians and white boyz alike in the land down under
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNT7uZf7lew
[SIZE=-1]
^^^couldn't resist the men @ work jab.
Vegimite sandwich is uniquely Oz, and nasty as any Brit food. Spam, spam, spam...wonderful spam
Wouldn't really call it cuisine, more like style, Calif style (not Calif cuisine)
[/SIZE]
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
It really depends on the household and its heritage. I don't believe there is a set Aussie cuisine per se. (I know we as a nation don't sit down to a hearty meal of kangaroo every night).
In my home, it's typically north-western European (Danish, German, Polish) with some Russian/Ukrainian. We also have a lot of seafood grilled on the BBQ (but not prawns, mainly fish), as well as roasts on the BBQ. Side dishes are either green-leafy salads, rice, or potatoes w/other vegetables (peas, corn, beans, etc) depending on season and what we can get at the local markets. Take away meals are typically Asian, Mexican or what-ever we fancy that night.
Nothing that you would find out of the ordinary in any typical western society.
PS. I do know of some families that "Steak and 3 veg" are the normal daily night-time meal, with the occasional Beef or Pork roast in there for variety.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Well, for example Americans have hot dogs. We have corn on the cob. We have a few unique cuisines: Southwest Fusion (a blend of Mexican and Asian cooking made possible by the diverse cultures of California), Cajun and southern Soul Food ("Fry everything in butter with various parts of the pig"). I'm not sure whether Barbecued food counts or not; that might also be an American invention.
Has Oz produced anything like that? Is there even one dish that you guys would say is uniquely Australian?
Has Oz produced anything like that? Is there even one dish that you guys would say is uniquely Australian?
I wouldn't classify the Outback steakhouse as low-end. Maybe they aren't very good in your area, but they're on par if not a step above many other other steak houses when it comes to chain restaurants (not comparing it to one-off/non-chain steak houses). I'd eat at an Outback over and above a 99 pub, a chili's, an Applebees, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, Buggaboo creek, long horns, and an Unos (though Uno's is more pizza, but they sell steaks).
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
Short answer, no.
While we do have the "chiko roll", and "four-n-twenty meat pie" and a few other unique dishes (like Pavlova), there's not really a unique style.
PS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cuisine
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I'd say Ruth's Kris is a high-end chain (I had a $70 meal last time I ate in one. No alcohol.). Outback is a step above a Ponderosa or a Sizzler, but I will honestly say I've had a better steak in those than I've gotten in Outback, too. It's on par with Texas Corral for a "meh" level meal. There's a Longhorn Steakhouse just down the road from home and while the price is about the same as Outback, the quality of the meat they use is much higher. Outback has gotten much worse over time, much like Olive Garden.
And for what it's worth, Applebee's can fuck up ice, let alone food. That's a chain-wide statement. Uno's is usually pretty good, and I'd rather eat at a Chili's than any of the other low-end sit-down places; their menu isn't entirely based on the formula "Fry something and put cheese on top" like Friday's and Applebee's.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
You know, I never thought to look at Wikipedia, given the fact that I can come here and ask actual Aussies.
Wikipedia: Is there anything it doesn't know?
P.S. Vegemite is gross
ddrueding
Fixture
That's a big ten-four.
Fushigi
Storage Is My Life
Chili's is on my lifetime ban list. Too many bad service experiences. Waiting 40 minutes for water was the last straw. Never again.
Applebees and TGIFridays are fair as long as you're careful in what you order. Outback is OK but I would call them lower mid-tier at best. Haven't been in one for a couple of years. On the Border's food is OK although it doesn't seem as authentic as some other places and their drinks are weak enough that I don't order alcohol there. Red Lobster may as well be called sodium overload.
If I really want steak I will go to a steak house or a high end restaurant that offers steak. I'm generally too disappointed otherwise. If the steak needs a sauce to taste good, I don't want it. I don't mind $100+ for dinner for two as long as the meal is worth it.
Applebees and TGIFridays are fair as long as you're careful in what you order. Outback is OK but I would call them lower mid-tier at best. Haven't been in one for a couple of years. On the Border's food is OK although it doesn't seem as authentic as some other places and their drinks are weak enough that I don't order alcohol there. Red Lobster may as well be called sodium overload.
If I really want steak I will go to a steak house or a high end restaurant that offers steak. I'm generally too disappointed otherwise. If the steak needs a sauce to taste good, I don't want it. I don't mind $100+ for dinner for two as long as the meal is worth it.
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
I'm not a big fan of it either!
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Since you're suggesting that you can actually get an edible meal at Applebees, I'm going to make the assumption that you ate the napkins, because there's no way you got decent food there. It's not even possible. I've gotten soda with no syrup, chicken tenders and fries that were still frozen, BBQ ribs that would kill a diabetic from all the sugar in the sauce.
Christ, I'd rather eat at Giordano's, and I was served a pizza full of maggots there.
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
Speaking of large chain restaurants, me wife and I don't mind "Lone Star" which is a Texan style restaurant which has decent steak meals.
Otherwise Toscani's (Italian restaurant). I personally can't stand Pizza Hut or any of the other large US-inspired chains. As for Sizzler, forget that place, I've never had a decent meal there.
PS. www.lonestar.com.au
Otherwise Toscani's (Italian restaurant). I personally can't stand Pizza Hut or any of the other large US-inspired chains. As for Sizzler, forget that place, I've never had a decent meal there.
PS. www.lonestar.com.au
Fushigi
Storage Is My Life
Which really underscores the problems a chain can face. My ban on Chili's and Merc's bad experiences at Applebees are limited to one or a few locations (franchisers?) yet we blame the entire chain.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with our bans. It has more to do with Corporate HQ not making sure the restaurants are supplying the product and service that corporate envisions. I imagine there are company policy violations occurring, some of which are also health code violations (maggot pizza). Regardless, when the dining experience is soured so badly, business is lost.
We still get pretty good service from the local IHOP, but the local Denny's has gone down hill. Getting a little too dirty and well, my Spanish isn't that good. We don't go there anymore.
For burgers, Fuddruckers is fine though the closest location closed a few months back, and Red Robin is good too (although there are usually too many kids around). But I prefer Boston Blackies. And while the food at Johnny Rockets won't win awards, it's decent enough and the diner setup is entertaining once in a while. They're also walking distance from the local cinema, so that helps.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with our bans. It has more to do with Corporate HQ not making sure the restaurants are supplying the product and service that corporate envisions. I imagine there are company policy violations occurring, some of which are also health code violations (maggot pizza). Regardless, when the dining experience is soured so badly, business is lost.
We still get pretty good service from the local IHOP, but the local Denny's has gone down hill. Getting a little too dirty and well, my Spanish isn't that good. We don't go there anymore.
For burgers, Fuddruckers is fine though the closest location closed a few months back, and Red Robin is good too (although there are usually too many kids around). But I prefer Boston Blackies. And while the food at Johnny Rockets won't win awards, it's decent enough and the diner setup is entertaining once in a while. They're also walking distance from the local cinema, so that helps.
I have to completely agree. I can't say I've had an episode of terrible service, but the food at applebees isn't worth paying money for. I'd much rather have a bowl of cereal or a grilled cheese made at home than go there. Their food tastes like they went shopping at the supper market in the frozen food isle and all they do is heat it up for me...poorly at best.
The Outback is one of the few where I can go and eat their steak without having any sauce on it. I'm not a big steak person, but the steaks at the Outback are good. I also enjoy their bread, and the Alice Springs chicken dish. This still isn't my favorite restaurant to eat, but if I'm picking from a chain, it's higher on my list than a lot of others.
Stereodude
Not really a
The last couple of times I've been to Outback the steaks have been terrible. I won't be going there any more.
ddrueding
Fixture
I know of good steakhouses in most of the cities I go to, there is no reason to use a chain.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Sometimes you want a chain. Familiarity and (hopefully) consistency of product are a good idea while traveling, for example.
I can drink a shot glass of 100,000 Scoville hot sauce and not have it bother me, but if something kicks my personal anxiety disorder, food basically isn't going to stay where I put it. Sometimes just being in a place I'm not used to will do that, so when I out doing service work I try to stick to chain restaurants rather than taking a chance on the potentially very good food, just to keep that from happening.
I can drink a shot glass of 100,000 Scoville hot sauce and not have it bother me, but if something kicks my personal anxiety disorder, food basically isn't going to stay where I put it. Sometimes just being in a place I'm not used to will do that, so when I out doing service work I try to stick to chain restaurants rather than taking a chance on the potentially very good food, just to keep that from happening.
ddrueding
Fixture
I can understand that. When I traveled a lot on business (alone in lots of unfamiliar cities), I would look for the nearest Cheesecake Factory. The one in Palo Alto is better than SF, but Denver is excellent.
ddrueding
Fixture
This was a really neat place. The Panoche Inn. Truly middle-of-nowhere, and beautiful because of it.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Nice pic - I liked it.
I travleed and livced all over rhe worlf\d. Italian is the safest, best bet and m0st understandable food for the westerner paaltes. The US OutBACks restaurants are OK,l but I dont eat steak. I try to avoid the beefs when possoble and therefore don;t know the best places for meats.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
An Indian restaurant finally opened someplace close to where I live. It was alright, even if I don't really remember what I ordered (Teeka?). I heard that it was spicy, and I asked them to make it spicy. They did not make it spicy. It was fairly bland.
I did not see anything on the menu that explicitly said "curry", which was the one thing I was expecting to find at an Indian restaurant.
The chickpea and eggplant stuff I had was good though.
I did not see anything on the menu that explicitly said "curry", which was the one thing I was expecting to find at an Indian restaurant.
The chickpea and eggplant stuff I had was good though.
On the road I prefer to stay a hotel with room service and order some simple food to scarf down while doing something else. I don't have the time or interest in driving around, finding a restaurant, ordering, waiting, etc. Hotel and restaurant options in the smaller towns can really suck. In one small town there was literally only one real restaurant other than fast food joints.
In one small town there was literally only one real restaurant other than fast food joints.
ddrueding
Fixture
Lately I've been doing frozen stuff from the vending machine. Yesterday was an 18-hour day, and today has been 13 so far, with only 5 hours in between (most of it sleep). Does anyone have any frozen favorites?